Almost everything in life can be seen to have a counterpart, an opposite. This tendency is universal, whether it be the stereotypical roles of good cop and bad cop or Sir Isaac Newton’s third law of motion. It also appears in literature, as many writers introduce topics or characters that contrast each other; they use juxtaposition. Charles Dickens is one of these many writers, as is seen in A Christmas Carol. The novella begins by introducing the protagonist, Ebenezer Scrooge. He is an extremely wealthy, but selfish and gauche old man. Due to past experiences, his outlook on mankind and the world at large is jaded, and this is especially true on Christmas. While the rest of the world is preparing to celebrate he is instead reminded of everything …show more content…
Throughout the journey. he is exposed to light and prosperity, but also darkness and despair. Seeing the root of his own despair influences him to spread joy while he still can. Scrooge not only ends up being his own foil in the end, but his journey to becoming that person is filled with juxtaposition. Dickens use of opposing ideas and symbols drive the plot of the story and also prove that positive changes only occur in the face of negativity.
If there is fire in this tale of Christmas, there is water nearby; everything exists with a polar opposite. The spirits, while all aiming to accomplish the same goal, literally and figuratively show Scrooge both the good and the bad; the light and the dark. The first spirit is described as a “clear jet of light” which made everything “visible” (30). The spirit who is there to show him his past joyous Christmases, is also literally lighting the way. The third spirit is contrary to the first, being a source of darkness and fear. When meeting the spirit Scrooge felt its mere presence and was taken aback as he “bent down upon
The play “Christmas Carol” includes three spirits that visit Scrooge that change him in some way. The Ghost of Christmas Past, The Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of the Future are all similar because of their main motive, to change Scrooge. For example, Scrooge says “ Remove me! I cannot bear it.” The Ghost of Christmas Past had shown memories that were haunting Scrooge, which Scrooge had tried to forget them in the past.
In Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, plot and characterization demonstrate that the quest for happiness is the reason people change. First, the plot of the story emphasizes the theme. In the beginning, Scrooge walks through his house in the dark because “darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it” (Dickens 15). Scrooge doesn't like to spend his money and he believes that wealth will make him happy.
Although all the spirits had an influence on Scrooge, the Spirits of Christmas Yet to Come had the most influence because the spirit showed Scrooge the future which might happen if Scrooge doesn't change his current lifestyle being a miser, not attending family events, and being cold-hearted.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, shows how a greedy man turns from his life of cold-heartedness. Ebenezer Scrooge is the greedy man in the novel who values his money more than anyone or anything. His greed has caused many people to dislike him, even his employees find him cruel and cheap. He begins to change, however, when he is visited by his dead partner Jacob Marley. Marley warns Scrooge that three other Spirits will be visiting him throughout the night, and will help convince him to change his ways.
The conflict begins with Ebenezer Scrooge being a greedy, selfish old man. For Scrooge, Christmas is just a poor excuse for picking a man’s pocket (Dickens,6). The climax of the drama is when Scrooge sees his grave and realizes that no one cares. In the drama, three spirits from his past, present, and future show him how greedy and mean he is to everyone. Scrooge makes a promise of changing and being a better person before it’s too late.
Then he realizes that he was not going to stay with his money when he die. At the end, he helped his employee with a monetary situation. Further, he went to his nephew’s Christmas dinner. Significantly, this novel helps people retrain the meaning of being humble and kind with others. Something that is very important about this novel is that it teaches a lesson of helping others, because you are not going to stay with your money when you die.
Family reunions are often used to dwell upon the past and reflect upon one’s life. Richard Rodriguez, in is his passage, goes to extreme lengths to explain to the reader his carefully taken observation of his family’s life. Looking deeper into the words and feelings of the passage, Rodriguez portrays a sense of strong family values. It is apparent (by his selective use of diction and narrative structure found throughout the passage) that Rodriguez is writing to a more mature, experienced audience. As a mature writer, Rodriguez knows that the best way to connect with his audience is through the one day responsible for some of their greatest childhood memories -- Christmas.
After Marley warns him not to end up like himself, and informs him that he will be visited by three ghosts, the first ghost arrives in Scrooge’s home. This is the the Ghost of Christmas Past. The spirit is dressed in a bright white tunic and is holding branch of luscious green holly. The ghost shows him scenes from when he was younger. These scenes make a massive impact on Scrooge.
Looking for Change Hurts Many film and literature characters fail to leave an impact on the reader. This is not the case for Charles Dickens’ character Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol and Frank Capra’s creation of a character, George Bailey from It’s a Wonderful Life. Both protagonists are beloved characters, but have drastic similarities and differences. Ebenezer Scrooge and George Bailey are best compared by their outlook on life, time spent with the spirits, and each character’s transformation in the story.
We come to learn that Scrooge changes with his attitude. One quote from the text that accurately confirms this is…“No warmth could warm, no wintry weather could chill him. ”(page 3). This excerpt from the text explains how troubled and insecure he is inside, using a metaphorical perspective. We, as the readers, can draw inferences and conclusions on how loathsome he seems.
When Scrooge sees the Ghost, he is scared by its frightening appearance, but he knows that the Spirit’s lessons are important. He says, “ ‘But as I know your purpose is to do me good, and as I hope to live to be another man from what I was, I am prepared to bear you company, and do it with a thankful heart’ ” (Dickens 2). In this point of the story, Scrooge wants to change and is ready learn how to change his ways. He realizes that the Ghosts’ lessons are vital if he wants to change.
Through the rest of the story, Scrooge is visited by his old business partner Jacob Marley that warns him of three spirits that would visit him that later that night. In the first scene Scrooge’s nephew comes in and tells him “merry
The ghost of Christmas present took Scrooge to a place in London where people who were less fortunate lived At a lighthouse, two men “joined hands over the rough table at which they sat, and they wished each other a Merry Christmas” (Dickens 6.1). Those people had to work on Christmas, but they made the best of it and had their own Christmas. The ghost of Christmas Present also took Scrooge to his nephew’s house. At his nephew’s house, they were playing a game and Scrooge’s nephew was thinking of something while the other had to figure out what it was. He was thinking of “a savage animal, an animal that growled and grunted sometimes, and lived in London.”
In the novel Christmas Carol Scrooge is visited by three ghosts who show him his bad ways. In the movie Scrooge states, "Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if preserved in, they must lead. But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. Say it thus with what you show. " This means what you do or have done affects the future.
Scrooge has started to really understand what he has done wrong in his life and how selfish and mean he really is . The ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows Scrooge his future and how the people don’t care that Scrooge dies “If there is any person in the town, who feels emotion caused by this man’s death,” said Scrooge quite agonised, “show that person to me, Spirit, I beseech you” ( Dickens 11 ). Scrooge is seeing how people treat him when he is dead but Scrooge has no clue they are talking about him. Scrooge is showed the future but Scrooge thinks he has already changed completely because he has no idea that the person the men are talking about is him. Scrooge is changing fast but he has not seen the shadows that have not happened but will happen soon "You are about to show me shadows of the things that have not happened, but will happen in the time before us," Scrooge pursued.